Safety helmet



March 15, 1966 J. L. MARCHELLO 3,239,842

SAFETY HELMET Filed April 7, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JOHN L MARCHELLO BY QulQmm w/w) @Qmz ATTORNEYS March 15, 1966 J. MARCHELLO SAFETY HELMET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1964 so I 32 \P INVENTOR.

JOHN L. MARCHELLO ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,239,842 SAFETY HELMET John L. Marchello, Ann Arbor, Mich, assignor to Joseph Bnegeleisen Company, Southfield, Mich. Filed Apr. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 358,006 Claims. (Cl. 2-3) This invention relates to a safety helmet and more particularly, visor and ear protector attachments for a safety helmet.

Safety helmets such as of the type shown in the application of Zbikowski, Serial No. 229,573, filed October 10, 1962, now Patent No. 3,137,859, and in the patent to Zbikowski, No. 3,116,490, issued January 7, 1964-, are frequently used by police ofiicers who, at certain times, require some sort of visor to protect their eyes and the front of their faces and also some sort of ear protection. Since such helmets are frequently worn out of doors in the rain, it is desirable to detachably connect such visors and ear protective devices to the helmet in such a manner as to avoid rain leakage and yet to rigidly, although temporarily, secure such devices to the helmet.

Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide a visor construction for a safety helmet which rigidly attaches to the helmet shell and is easily removable therefrom, the connection being completely rain-tight.

In addition, it is an object of this invention to provide an ear protective means to be secured to a safety helmet, which means forms a rigid, rain-tight connection to the helmet and which can be quickly and easily removed when not needed.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a safety helmet with visor and ear protector means secured thereto.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the helmet, the visor means and ear protector separated.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front portion of the helmet with the visor secured thereto, and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but with the parts detached and separated.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the visor per se.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, partly in crosssection, showing the ear protector connected to the helmet.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, cross-section, fragmentary view taken in the direction of arrows 77 of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrows 88 of FIG. 6.

The safety helmet 10 is formed of an inverted, rigid, bowl-shaped shell 11 having a lower edge head 12 secured thereto. In addition, a suitable head supporting cradle or suspension and padding means (not illustrated) may be secured within the shell.

The shell is provided with three male snap fastener halves secured to the front portion thereof near its lower edge and in addition, with a pair of U-shaped strap members 14 secured by rivets 15 to the opposite sides of the shell. Connected to the lower end of one of the U-shaped strap members is an elongated strap 16 and connected to the opposite strap member is a buckle 17 secured thereto by a short strap section. Secured to each of the strap members are upper and lower female snap fastener halves 13.

The visor 20 is formed of a sheet of stiff plastic material and has an upper, integral edge strip 21 to which is adhesively secured a thick, resilient plastic ribbon 7.2, which may be formed of a suitable foamed plastic material, such as a waterproof polystyrene or the like (see FIG. 5). Formed in the strip and ribbon are openings 23 and 23a, which are aligned with the studs of the snap fastener halves 13.

To secure the visor to the shell, the openings 23 are aligned with and receive the studs 13 of the snap fastener halves and then a relatively stiff, but bendable plastic band 24, of substantially the same size as the visor strip 21, is arranged upon the outside surface of the visor strip and female snap fastener halves 25, secured to the band, are mated with the male snap fastener halves 13 of the shell. The ribbon 22 is sufficiently thick so as to be compressed considerably between the strip and the shell to thereby conform to the contours and irregularities of the shell and to form a tight, waterproof joint.

For policemen, the band 24 may be made in varying colors to denote rank or type of service, such as gold for an oflicer, silver for a lower ranking officer and black for patrolmen. The bands can be easily discarded and replaced, being inexpensive and easily removed.

To lighten the helmet, the shell is normally so formed as to not cover the ear portion of the wearers head. However, at various times, it is desirable for the police oflicer to have a rigid protective shield around the ears and the back of his neck. Hence, the ear protector 30, as shown in FIG. 1, is mounted upon the shell and may be removed when not needed.

The ear protector is formed of a fiat sheet of relatively thin, stiff but semi-flexible material which will fiex or bend only under considerable pressure, such as the application of about ten pounds by pressing against the sheet with the end of a human thumb, and which is characterized by returning to its initial shape upon release of the pressure. One material suitable for this purpose is that identified as Royalite 20, manufactured by United States Rubber Company, this being a semi-flexible, thermoplastic material of about 0.30" wall thickness.

The entire center portion of the sheet is depressed outwardly to form a dished portion 31 surrounded by an edge band portion 32 which remains in the plane of the sheet. Inserted in the dished portion is a thick, resilient padding strip formed of a resilient plastic material 33 which may be provided, long with the sheet, with openings 34 to transmit sound easily. The padded sheet is so located and is of a size to completely cover the ears and the portion of the wearers head around the back of the head and neck between the ears.

For removably fastening the ear protector to the shell, a vertical strip 36 is secured by rivets 37 to the forward edge band portion 32 at each forward edge of the sheet. These strips are formed of a stiff, slightly flexible plastic material. Their upper edges 38 and 39, respectively, are rearwardly bent and free of securement to the sheet and have male snap fastener halves 40 secured thereto.

Slots 41 are formed in the sheet adjacent the lower ends 39 of the strips, these slots serving to receive the strap 16 and buckle 17.

In mounting the ear protector, its upper edge band portion is inserted within the helmet shell between the lower edge head 12 and the U-shaped strap members 14. The strap members are arranged between the protector sheet and the upper and lower ends of the vertical strips 36 with snap fastener halves 4t snapped into snap fastener halves 18.

A flexible tab 42 having a snap fastener 43 mounted thereon, is fastened to the rear of the protector at 31a for connection to a corresponding snap fastener half 44 secured to the rear of the shell. After the snap fasteners are connected, strap 16 and buckle 17 are inserted through the slots 41 so that they are arranged on the outside of the ear protector where they then can be fastened together around the chain of the wearer.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a strictly limited sense.

I now claim:

1. A combination safety helmet and visor comprising a helmet shell having a lower edge, a front end, and spaced apart snap fastener halves secured to the shell front end adjacent said lower edge; a visor comprising a curved, horizontally arranged, upper edge strip, shaped to fit against the front end of said shell, and an integral, forwardly and downwardly extending visor portion; a thick, Waterproof, resilient ribbon adhesively secured to and covering the strip face adjacent said shell; and aligned openings formed in said strip and ribbon, each of the openings being aligned with one of said snap fastener halves; an elongated, fiat band arranged upon and extending the length of the opposite face of the strip, and corresponding snap fastener halves secured to said band and snap fastened with the corresponding shell snap fastener halves; and said ribbon being of a sufiicient thickness to be compressed between the shell and strip by the mating snap fastener halves for forming a tight, waterproof connection therebetween.

2. A safety helmet with car protector, comprising a helmet shell having a lower edge, a forward portion, a rear portion, and depending straps secured to each side of the shell intermediate the forward and rear portions; said straps having snap fastener halves secured thereto, a generally vertically arranged sheet formed of stiff, semiflexible material bent into a horizontally arranged U- shape and having an upper edge arranged within the shell adjacent the shell lower edge; the sheet being of a size for depending beneath the shell and covering the ears and back of the neck of the wearer; the opposite ends of the sheet each having secured thereto a vertically elongated, narrow, stiff, semiflexible strip arranged on the inside surface of the sheet, with the upper and lower ends of each strip being free of securement to the sheet and extending rearwardly of the strip and having snap fastener halves secured thereto; said upper and lower ends overlying their respective straps for thereby positioning the straps between said upper and lower ends and the adjacent sheet portions; and with said snap fastener halves being releasibly engaged with said snap fastener halves secured. to said straps.

3. A safety helmet ear protector for a safety helmet formed of an inverted, bowl-shaped shell with lower edge, a front portion, a rear portion and depending fastening straps secured to each side of the shell intermediate the front and rear portions, said protector comprising a vertically arranged sheet of stiff, semi-flexible material horizontally bent into a U-shape and having an upper edge adapted to be arranged within the shell adjacent the lower edge thereof, and being of a size for depending beneath the shell and covering the ears and back of the neck of the wearer; substantially the entire central portion of the sheet, between its upper and lower edges and beginning at a short distance rearwardly of its forward edges being depressed outwardly of the sheet for forming an integral dish portion, and a thick sheet of resilient padding material completely covering and filling said dish portion with its inner face being substantially in the plane of the sheet, with the sheet forming a narrow edge band surrounding the dish portion; and means for fastening the sheet to the straps, comprising a pair of long, narrow, stiff, semi-flexible strips, each secured to the sheet inside surface at a forward edge band-forming portion thereof; there upper and lower ends of each strip being free of securement to the sheet and extending rearwardly of the sheet and having snap fastener halves secured thereto, with said upper and lower ends arranged to overly their respective straps and the strap arranged between said ends and the sheet and with said snap fastener halves arranged to engage with corresponding snap fastener halves secured to said straps,

4. A safety helmet ear protector for a safety helmet formed of a shell with a lower edge, a forward portion,

a rear portion and depending fastening straps secured to each side of the shell intermediate the forward and rear portions, each strap having snap fastener halves secured thereto, said protector comprising a generally vertically arranged sheet of stiff, semi-flexible material horizontally bent into a U-shape and having an upper edge adapted to be arranged within the shell adjacent the lower edge thereof, and being of a size for depending beneath the shell and covering the ears and back of the neck of the wearer; and means for fastening the sheet to the straps, said 1621118 comprising a pair of long, narrow, stiff, semi-flexible strips, each secured to the sheet inside surface at the opposite ends of the sheet, the upper and lower ends of each strip being free of securement to the sheet and extending rearwardly of the strip and having snap fastener halves secured thereto, with said upper and lower ends being adapted to overly their respective straps, for there by positioning the straps between said upper and lower ends and the adjacent sheet portions, and with said snap fastener halves adapted to engage with the corresponding snap fastener halves secured to said straps.

5. A construction as defined in claim 4 and including a slot formed in the sheet at each of the forward edges thereof, adjacent the lower edges thereof, through which each of the straps may be inserted for further depending beneath the ear protector.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,980 2/1919 Tennison 2195 2,248,366 7/1941 Lewis 23 2,363,461 1/1944 Huntsman 28 2,755,476 7/1956 Bowers 28 2,802,214 8/1957 Hanks 2209 2,991,478 7/1961 Zbikowski 23 3,039,108 6/1962 Lohrenz 23 3,147,487 9/1964 Hoeftman 28 FOREIGN PATENTS 530,434 12/ 1940 Great Britain.

ROBERT V. SLOAN, Primary Examiner. JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. A COMBINATION SAFETY HELMET AND VISOR COMPRISING A HELMET SHELL HAVING A LOWER EDGE, A FRONT END, AND SPACED APART SNAP FASTENER HALVES SECURED TO THE SHELL FRONT END ADJACENT SAID LOWER EDGE; A VISOR COMPRISING A CURVED, HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED, UPPER EDGE STRIP, SHAPED TO FIT AGAINST THE FRONT END OF SAID SHELL, AND AN INTEGRAL FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING VISOR PORTION; A THICK, WATERPROOF, RESILIENT RIBBON ADHESIVELY SECURED TO AND COVERING THE STRIP FACE ADJACENT SAID SHELL; AND ALIGNED OPENINGS FORMED IN SAID STRIP AND RIBBON, EACH OF THE OPENINGS BEING ALINGED WITH ONE OF SAID SNAP FASTENER HALVES; AN ELONGATED, FLAT BAND ARRANGED UPON AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE OPPOSITE FACE OF THE STRIP, AND CORRESPONDING SNAP FASTENER HALVES SECURED TO SAID BAND AND SNAP FASTENED WITH THE CORRESPONDING SHELL SNAP FASTENER HALVES; AND SAID RIBBON BEING OF A SUFFICIENT THICKNESS TO BE COMPRESSED BETWEEN THE SHELL AND STRIP BY THE MATING SNAP FASTENER HALVES FOR FORMING A TIGHT, WATERPROOF CONNECTION THEREBETWEEN. 